Professor Koen Lamberts, who was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield University, recently spoke about the difficulties of his job and the complications that Brexit has brought to higher education.
According to Mr. Lamberts, large universities like the one in Sheffield require a big administrative body, as there are just too many tasks. It took him more than ten months to get acquainted with every member of the numerous departments around the university. Currently, Sheffield University is the workplace of more than seven thousand staff members and the educational institution of about twenty-nine thousand students.
This is one of the largest higher education institutions in the northern part of the United Kingdom. According to Mr. Lamberts, the government, and especially the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, should work to provide better financial support for education in the area.
Sheffield University and Brexit
One of the main talking points for Mr. Lamberts were the effects Brexit negotiations have on education around the United Kingdom. Up until 2016, Mr. Lamberts was not worried about his stay and work in the United Kingdom, even though he was born in Belgium, as European laws and agreements protected him. However, according to him, things may change when a final decision is reached on Brexit.
Schools and teachers have already expressed concerns that parents and students show less interest in foreign language education, as a result of the Brexit procedure.
Mr. Lamberts shared that for twenty-five years, he never once felt that he did not belong in the United Kingdom; however, Brexit negotiations have become a reason for serious concern about international teachers. Since there is no clear plan on what the resolution of the Brexit process will be, foreign teachers and employers in the United Kingdom are in constant stress for their job places.
